Apparatus for applying powder to webs of cigarette paper or the like

ABSTRACT

Bronze powder is applied to adhesive at the underside of a travelling web of cigarette paper by a pile on the periphery of a transfer roller receiving a thin layer of bronze powder from a conveyor which draws or receives a constant supply of powder from an intermediate supply. The latter is replenished from a main supply by a further conveyor.

United States Patent [191 Goldbach et' a1.

1 11 v 3,820,55 1 June 28, 1974 I APPARATUS FOR APPLYING POWDER TO WEBS OF CIGARETTE PAPER OR THE LIKE [75] Inventors: Manfred Goldbach,

' l-lamburg-Bergedorf; Willy Rudszinat, Dassendorf, near Hamburg, both of Germany [73] Assignee: Hauni Werke Korber & Co. KG,

' Hamburg-Bergedorf, Germany 22 Filed: Dec. 27, 1968 21 App1.No.: 787,537

30 Foreign Application Priority Data Jan. 13,1968 Germany "1657247 521 U.S.C1 l 18/118,118/223,118/262 [51]-lnt.C1......,-.....'. ..B05c1/08,B05c 1/16 581 Field of Search 118/637, 262, 259, 24,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 307,130 10/1884 Mason 118/259 X 537,310 4/1895 Saltzkorn 118/262 X 3,032,009 5/1962 Magnusson 118/637 3,097,968 7/1963 Schaefer 1 18/262 X 3,125,465 3/1964 Kuts....' 118/262 X 3,145,122 8/1964 Streich 118/637 3,453,045 7/1969 Fantuzzo 118/637 X Primary Examiner.lohn P. McIntosh Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Michael S. Striker [57] ABSTRACT Bronze powder is applied to adhesive at the underside of a travelling web of cigarette paper by a pile on the periphery of a transfer roller receiving a thin layer of bronze powder from a conveyor which draws or receives a constant supply of powder from an intermediate supply. The latter is replenished from a main supply by a further conveyor.

2'Claims, 6 Drawing Figures SBEU 1 BF 2 INVENTQR5 ATTORNE Y BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to apparatus for applying finely comminuted powdery coloring matter, particularly bronze powder, to webs of cigarette paper or the like. More particularly, the invention relates to improvements in apparatus for applying bronze powder to adhesive-coated parts of cigarette paper webs.

US. Pat. No. 3,316,876 discloses an apparatus wherein a web of cigarette paper is transported through a chamber which contains a dispersion of bronze powder in air and from which surplus powder is withdrawn by suction to a cyclone. drawback of such apparatus is that it must continuously circulate large quantities of powder and that it must be equipped with complicated sealing means to prevent escape of powder and hence contamination of the machine in which the apparatus is used, particularly a cigarette machine or filter cigarette machine. Moreover, the equipment needed for recovery of powder from air and for reintroduction of powder into the chamber is 'bulky, complicated and consumes large amounts of energy.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION toward the point of application to the web.

A further object of the invention is to provide a bronzing apparatus which occupies little room, which can apply powdery material to a travelling web without contaminating the surrounding area, which need not convey coloring matter by-pneumatic means and thus reduces the likelihood of escape of powder, and which can apply coloring matter to long stretches of a travelling web without necessitating a replenishing of the main supply of material therein.

An additional object of the invention is to provide the apparatus with novel means for transporting coloring matter to the station where the coloring matter is applied to the travelling web.

The apparatus of our invention comprises a constant supply of powdery coloring matter adjacent to a travellingweb of cigarette paper or the like, and mechanical means for continuously transferring coloring matter from the constant supply to that side of the web which is adhesive, either entirely or in selected regions thereof, whereby the coloring matter adheres to the adhesive, The constant supply of coloring matter preferably forms a thin layer.

The apparatus preferably further comprises a substantial main supply of powdery coloring matter, means for transporting coloring matter form the main supply to the constant 1 supply in amounts exceeding the amounts which are transferred from the constant supply to the travelling web, and means for returning the resulting surplus of coloring matter from the constant supply to the main supply. The transporting and returning means preferably operate continuously and concurrently with the operation of means for transferring coloring matter to the travelling web.

An intermediate supply of coloring matter can be esi tablished and maintained between the main supply and the constant supply. The intermediate supply then receives coloring matter in excess of a first predetermined amount and such excess is continuously removed and returned to the main supply. In addition, a second predetermined amount which is less than the first predetermined amount and constitutes the constant supply is continuously removed from the intermediate supply.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic of the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The improved bronzing apparatus itself, however, both as to its construction and its mode of operation, together with additional features and advantages thereof, will be best understood upon perusal of the following detailed description of certain specific embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of an apparatus which embodies one form of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view as seen in the direction .of arrows from the line IIIl of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a second apparatus;

' FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view as seen in the direction of arrows from the line IV-IV of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a transverse vertical sectional view as seen in the direction of arrows from the line VV of FIG. 3', and

FIG. 6 is a transverse vertical sectional view as seen in the direction of arrows from the line VIVI of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS regions at the underside of a web 3 of cigarette paper moving in the direction indicated by arrow. The web 3 is transported by two pairs of advancing rolls 4 and 6. The apparatus comprises a paster which is'installed at a station A and includes an adhesive-containing tank 10, a removing roller 15 which is driven and dips into the supply of paste in the tank 10 to transfer a film of adhesive to the peripheral surface of an intermediate roller 8. The latter applies adhesive to selected portions of an impression roller 7 which applies adhesive to predetermined portions or zones at the underside of the travelling web 3 at the station A.

The apparatus further comprises a housing 1 which is mounted downstream of the station A and the bottom portion of which constitutes a magazine for a relatively large main supply 11 of bronze powder. An endless conveyor 12 is driven to continuously remove a predetermined quantity of powder from the main supply l l and to deliver such powder to a smaller intermediate supply 30 which is accumulated at a level slightly below the path of the web ,3. The conveyor 12 comprises an endless chain or an analogous flexible element which carries a succession of spherical entraining elements 13 (hereinafter called balls). The conveyor 12 is mounted for travel through a tubular guide 14 which extends across the main supply 11 and is provided with an inlet or cutout 10 for admission of bronze powder from the main supply. The discharge end of the guide 14 is located at a station D which accommodates the aforementioned intermediate supply 30. The balls 13 travel in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 2, and transport a relatively small amount of bronze powder from the inlet 10 to the discharge end of the tubular guide 14. It is clear. that .the conveyor 12 can be replaced by another conveyor, preferably an endless conveyor, wherein the entraining elements are small cups, buckets or the like. A link chain can be employed with equal advantage, as long as its links are capable of entraining a requisite amount of powder to the intermediate supply 30. The conveyor means for maintaining the amounts of powder in the supply 30 at a constant value comprises a driven roller 16 whose peripheral surface is provided with a pile of bristles 17 and which cooperates with a refuser 20, the latter serving to remove surplus powder upstream of the station D where the bristles 17 deliver a constant supply of powder in the form of a thin layer 25 to a transfer roller 22. The conveyor 12 is trained over a driver wheel 18 which is provided with a sleeve 19 of rubber or other suitable elastomeric material. The sleeve 19 has a circumferential groove which guides the chain of the conveyor 12 and maintains the conveyor in a predetermined plane.

The aforementioned transfer roller 22 is provided with a pile 21 of bristles. The numerals 23, 24 and 26 denote three brushing rollers which are driven to rotate in the housing 1 downstream of the transfer roller 22. These rollers rotate counter to the direction of travel of the web 3. The directions in which the various rolls, rollers and wheels rotate are indicated by arrows.

The operation:

At least one of each pair of advancing rolls 4 and 6 is driven to advance the cigarette paper web 3 in a direction to the left, as viewed in FIG. 1. The impression roller 7 applies adhesive paste to selected portions or regions at the underside of the travelling web, namely, to those portions which are about to be bronzed during travel along the top side of the housing 1. The powder is applied by the pile 21 of the transer roller 22 and adheres mainly to those portions at the underside of the web which are coated with adhesive. The brushing rollers 23, 24, 26 remove the surplus of powder from the adhesive-coated portions and cause the thus removed powder to trickle (as at 27, 28 and 29) back into the main supply 11 in the bottom zone of the housing 1. The inclined bottom wall 9 of the housing 1 directs back into the bottom zone that surplus (29) which is removed by the last brushing roller 26. The means for driving the various rolls and rollers are not specifically shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 2 merely shows the drive shaft 16a for the roller 16; this shaft extends through the side wall 2 of the housing 1.

The conveyor 12 travels continuously and its balls 13 transport a stream of powder from the main supply 11 to the intermediate supply 30. Such stream passes through the tubular guide 14 from the inlet to the station D and is discharged onto the pile 17 of the roller 16. The latter cooperates with the refuser which retains a requisite amount of powder in the intermediate supply 30 and permits only a predetermined small constant supply 25 of powder to reach the station where some powder is taken over by the pile 21 and is applied against the underside of the travelling web 3. The pile 21 of the transfer roller 22 carries a relatively thin layer 25 of powder which is of uniform thickness and can be readily transported to the point where the web 3 touches the pile 21. Such powder (indicated at 31) which is not taken over by the pile 21 is carried by the pile l7 beyond the transfer station and returns by gravity into the main supply 11.

The apparatus of FIG. 3 to 6 comprises several component parts which are analogous to the parts of the previously described apparatus and are denoted by similar numerals plus 100. The conveyor 12 of FIGS. 1-2 is replaced by a link chain 136 which is trained over sprocket wheels 137, 138 and travels in a horizontal plane. This chain is mounted in the housing 101 and a portion thereof extends through a main supply 111 of bronze powder in the bottom part and that end of the housing 101 which is remote from the pasting station A. The drive 143 for the chain 136 comprises a motordriven worm shaft 142 which extends into the housing 101 above the main supply 111 and carries a worm in mesh with a worm wheel 141 on the shaft 139 of the sprocket wheel 137. The two stretches of the chain 136 .extend lengthwise of two channels 144, 151 which are provided in the housing 101 and the vertical shaft of the sprocket wheel 138 is installed in an intermediate magazine 148 at the right-hand end of the housing, as viewed in FIG. 3 or 4. The shaft 150 carries a diskshaped conveyor which corresponds to the roller 16 of FIGS. l-2 and whose upper surface carries a stream of bronze powder into the path of travel of a pile 153 on the periphery of a first transfer roller 152 which carries a layer of bronze powder to the pile 121 of a second transfer roller 122. A refuser 147 cooperates with the conveyor 155 to remove the surplus from the upper surface and to return such surplus into the supply of powder in the intermediate magazine 148. The links of the chain 136 continuously deliver powder from the main supply 111 to the intermediate supply in the magazine 148 by way of the channel 144 and such links also return the excess from the supply in the magazine 148 to the main supply 111 by way of the channel 151. The trimmed layer 125 on the upper surface of the conveyor 155 constitutes a constant supply of powder from which the pile 153 removes a constant amount for transfer to the pile 121 of the second transfer roller 122. The latter applies the powder to the adhesivecoated areas at the underside of the travelling web 103.

The operation:

The web 103 is advanced lengthwise by the pairs of rolls 104, 106 and receives adhesive from the impression roller 107. The adhesive-coated portions retain the powder which is delivered by the pile 121 of the second transfer roller 122 and the surplus is brushed off by the rollers 123, 124 and 126 which are installed at a level above the channel 151 so that the brushed-off surplus returns to the main supply 111.

The chain 136 is driven by the drive 143 and delivers bronze powder from the main supply 111, through the channel 144 and into the intermediate magazine 148. A portion of the disk-shaped conveyor 155 travels through the intermediate supply in the magazine 148 and removes a stream which is trimmed by the refuser 147 so that it is converted into a constant supply 125 The apparatus of FIGS. 1-2 or 36 are sufficiently compact to be readily accommodated in or on a rod cigarette machine or filter cigarette machine. The web 3 or 103 may be a web of cigarette paper which is applied around a continuous tobacco filler rod or it may constitute a web which is subdivided downstream of the bronzing station to form uniting bands which are employed to secure filter tips to plain cigarettes in the manufacture of filter cigarettes of unit length or multiple unit length.

An important advantage of our apparatus is that they can apply bronze powder or analogous powdery coloring matter without contaminating the surrounding area. Therefore, the operation of the apparatus is surprisingly economical because all or nearly all of the material which is removed from the main supply 11 or 111 is applied to adhesive-coated portions of the travelling web. Consequently, the main supply 11 or 111 suffices for coating of a very long web, i.e., the main supply need not be replenished at frequent intervals. Moreover, the transfer roller 22 or 122 invariably receives a thin layer of powder which is removed from the constant supply 25 or 125.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features which fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic and specific aspects of our contribution to the an.

What is claimed as new and described to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for applying powdery coloring matter to a travelling web one side of which is at least partially adhesive, particularly for applying particles of bronzing material to cigarette paper, comprising a magazine containing a substantial variable main supply of coloring' matter; means for establishing and maintaining a relatively small and at least substantially constant supply of coloring matter; a connection for the transfer of coloring matter from said main supply to said .constant supply; metering means for controlling the amount of coloring matter which are transferred from the main supply to the constant supply per unit of time; transfer means for mechanically transferring coloring matter from said constant supply to the one side of the travelling web, said connection comprising conveyor means arranged to continuously withdraw from the magazine said constant supply in the form of a thin layer and to transport said constant supply into the range of said transfer means, said conveyor means comprising a disk which is rotatable about a substantially vertical axis and is partially accommodated in said magazine so that the upper surface thereof tends to continuously remove from the magazine a stream of coloring matter is excess of said constant supply and said metering means comprising refuser means for removing from the stream coloring matter in excess of said constant supply; and at least one device for removing surplus coloring matter from the one side of the travelling web.

2. Apparatus for applying powdery coloring matter to a travelling web one side of which is at least partially adhesive, particularly for applying particles of bronzing material to cigarette paper, comprising a magazine containing a substantial variable supply of coloring matter; means for establishing and maintaining a relatively small and at least substantially constant supply of coloring matter; a connection for the transfer of coloring matter from said main supply to said constant supply; metering means for controlling the amounts of coloring matter which are transferred from the main supply to the constant supply per unit of time; transfer means for mechanically transferring coloring matter from said constant supply to the one side of the travelling web, comprising a first driven transfer roller having a peripheral portion which withdraws coloring matter from said constant supply and a second driven transfer roller having a peripheral portion which receives coloring matter from the peripheral portion of said first transfer roller and applies the thus received coloring matter to the one side of the travelling web; and at least one device for removing surplus coloring matter from the one side of the travelling web. 

1. Apparatus for applying powdery coloring matter to a travelling web one side of which is at least partially adhesive, particularly for applying particles of bronzing material to cigarette paper, comprising a magazine containing a substantial variable main supply of coloring matter; means for establishing and maintaining a relatively small and at least substantially constant supply of coloring matter; a connection for the transfer of coloring matter from said main supply to said constant supply; metering means for controlling the amount of coloring matter which are transferred from the main supply to the constant supply per unit of time; transfer means for mechanically transferring coloring matter from said constant supply to the one side of the travelling web, said connection comprising conveyor means arranged to continuously withdraw from the magazine said constant supply in the form of a thin layer and to transport said constant supply into the range of said transfer means, said conveyor means comprising a disk which is rotatable about a substantially vertical axis and is partially accommodated in said magazine so that the upper surface thereof tends to continuously remove from the magazine a stream of coloring matter is excess of said constant supply and said metering means comprising refuser means for removing from the stream coloring matter in excess of said constant supply; and at least one device for removing surplus coloring matter from the one side of the travelling web.
 2. Apparatus for applying powdery coloring matter to a travelling web one side of which is at least partially adhesive, particularly for applying particles of bronzing material to cigarette paper, comprising a magazine containing a substantial variable supply of coloring matter; means for establishing and maintaining a relatively small and at least substantially constant supply of coloring matter; a connection for the transfer of coloring matter from said main supply to said constant supply; metering means for controlling the amounts of coloring matter which are transferred from the main supply to the constant supply per unit of time; transfer means for mechanically transferring coloring matter from said constant supply to the one side of the travelling web, comprising a first driven transfer roller having a peripheral portion which withdraws coloring matter from said constant supply and a second driven transfer roller having a peripheral portion which receives coloring matter from the peripheral portion of said first transfer roller and applies the thus received coloring matter to the one side of the travelling web; and at least one device for removing surplus coloring matter from the one side of the travelling web. 